Ecevit, Left-Leaning Premier, Takes Strong Lead in Turkish Voting

By STEPHEN KINZER

Published: April 19, 1999

ISTANBUL, Monday, April 19—
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit appeared to run well ahead of all challengers in Sunday's national election, according to returns tabulated early this morning. The result suggested that he would be in a strong position to form Turkey's next Government.

Projections indicated that Mr. Ecevit would receive 24 percent of the vote. They were made after only about one-fourth of the ballots had been counted, however, and were not considered wholly reliable.

Sunday's elections were held more than a year ahead of schedule. Turkey has been without a stable Government since the last election, in 1995.

A surprisingly weak second place appeared to be going to the Islamic-oriented Virtue party, with 16 percent. Virtue is anathema to the ruling establishment and to powerful military commanders. Its leaders had hoped for a first-place finish, which might have allowed them to try forming a Government.

Television pictures from Virtue headquarters showed many evidently disappointed faces. The party was apparently unable to overcome strong attacks from the secularist press and a perception that it was in disarray from internal conflict between young insurgents who want to jettison its religious orientation and an old guard determined to cling to it.

Despite its slippage in parliamentary voting, however, Virtue seemed likely to hold the mayors' posts in the country's two largest cities, Istanbul and Ankara. Mr. Ecevit's Democratic Left party was leading in the race to control Izmir, the third-largest city.

Business leaders and other secularists, reportedly including the military, have been hoping for a coalition between Mr. Ecevit, who portrays himself as left-leaning, and former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, a center-rightist. That coalition may now be possible, although at least one other party would probably have to join to give such a coalition enough support to win a parliamentary vote of confidence.

The far-right Nationalist Action party, which was not represented in the last Parliament, appeared to be making a remarkable comeback and could join the next Government. In the past, Nationalist Action has supported militant and even violent Turkish chauvinism, but a new leadership team sought to provide a more moderate image in this campaign.

In a bitter battle between the two parties portraying themselves as center-right, Mr. Yilmaz's Motherland party appeared to be running ahead of the True Path party led by former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller. During the campaign, Mrs. Ciller suggested that the center-right should unify under whichever of the two leaders finished ahead in the election.

The religious-oriented Welfare party, which has since been banned and replaced by Virtue, finished first in the 1995 voting. Its leader, Necmettin Erbakan, formed a coalition Government that appeared sympathetic to Islamic fundamentalism and to militant Governments like those in Iran and Libya.

The fiercely secular military strongly disapproved of Mr. Erbakan's Government, and exerted such intense pressure that the Government collapsed after one year.

The secular Government that took over in its place, headed by Mr. Yilmaz, failed to consolidate itself and collapsed last November. Mr. Ecevit was named as a caretaker to take the country to elections.

Soon after Mr. Ecevit took office, Turkish commandos captured the country's most hated man and most wanted fugitive, the Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan. With his capture Mr. Ecevit got an enormous boost, and he suddenly emerged as a triumphant figure who might stabilize the country's turbulent political scene.

His strong showings and those of Nationalist Action suggest a surge of nationalist feeling after Mr. Ocalan's capture.

Both parties take a hard line against the Kurdish movement, which they say threatens national unity. Both also oppose compromise with Greece over Cyprus or other issues.